Decent Homes Standard: What Private Landlords Must Prepare For
Written by Scott Jones, founder of PropertyKiln · Last updated
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From the mid-2030s you will not just be judged on EPC and obvious hazards. You will be judged against a formal Decent Homes Standard, and councils will have explicit powers to enforce it on you.
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1. What the Decent Homes Standard actually is
The Decent Homes Standard was built for social housing, but the government is now lifting it into PRS.
A home is "decent" if it:
- Meets the current statutory minimum standard for housing:
- No Category 1 hazards under the Housing Health and Safety Rating System (HHSRS).
- Is in a reasonable state of repair:
- Key building components (roof, windows, doors, electrics, heating) are not old and in poor condition at the same time.
- Has reasonably modern facilities and services:
- Adequate kitchen and bathroom, layout, and sound insulation; not excessively old or cramped.
- Provides a reasonable degree of thermal comfort:
- Effective insulation and efficient heating so the home can be kept warm at reasonable cost.
The updated 2026 policy statement tightens this further with explicit metrics for fabric performance and "warm, affordable to heat" homes.
2. How Renters' Rights extends this to PRS and when
The Renters' Rights Act 2025 brings Decent Homes into the PRS in stages.
Implementation roadmap
Phase 1 (from 1 May 2026):
- Section 21 abolition, Section 8 overhaul, tenancy reforms, PRS database, Ombudsman, Awaab's Law groundwork.
Phase 3: New Decent Homes Standard in PRS:
- Government will introduce a Decent Homes Standard to the PRS for the first time.
- Consultation in 2025 proposed bringing it into force by 2035 or 2037; outcome:
- Policy papers now talk about a long-term deadline around 2035, still subject to final confirmation.
- Councils will get explicit powers to enforce DHS in the PRS, beyond current HHSRS tools.
Key point: HHSRS already applies now. The Decent Homes Standard will sit on top, creating a clear "this home is not good enough" test for PRS in the same way social landlords already live with.
3. HHSRS: hazards, categories and enforcement
Law: Housing Act 2004 Part 1 and statutory HHSRS guidance.
HHSRS looks at 29 hazard types in four groups:
- Damp and mould.
- Excess cold / heat.
- Carbon monoxide and fuel combustion products.
- Fire, electrical hazards.
- Falls on stairs, between levels, on the flat.
- Crowding and space.
- Entry by intruders, noise, hygiene, water, structural collapse, etc.
Hazard scoring
Each hazard in a home is scored and placed into a band:
- Bands A-C = Category 1 hazard (most serious).
- Bands D and below = Category 2 hazard (less serious but still an issue).
Enforcement powers
For Category 1 hazards, councils have a duty to act. They can:
- Serve an improvement notice (s11) requiring works by a deadline.
- Make a prohibition order (s20) banning use of all or part of the premises.
- Take emergency remedial action or make an emergency prohibition order where there is an imminent risk of serious harm.
For Category 2 hazards, they have a power to act, typically:
- Improvement notice, or
- Hazard awareness notice (points out the hazard without mandatory timescales).
Failure to comply with notices can lead to:
- Civil penalties up to GBP 30,000 per offence, or
- Criminal prosecution and unlimited fines.
Renters' Rights additions
- Stronger investigatory powers from 27 December 2025 so councils can inspect more PRS stock, demand documents and use third-party data.
- Extension of Awaab's Law timelines to PRS: specific deadlines to investigate and fix serious damp, mould and other hazards.
4. Preparing now: likely works and overlap with EPC C
What will Decent Homes demand in practice?
The updated DHS wording and commentary for PRS focuses on four pillars:
No serious hazards (HHSRS Category 1)
- Damp and mould under control.
- No excess cold; heating can achieve adequate temperatures.
- Safe electrics, gas, fire detection, and structure.
Reasonable state of repair
- Roofs, windows, doors, walls, electrics, plumbing not simultaneously old and in disrepair.
- No ongoing leaks, rotten windows, crumbling stairs.
Modern facilities and layout
- Reasonably modern kitchen and bathroom (not 40-year-old units plus poor layout).
- Adequate space, storage, and noise insulation for the household type.
Thermal comfort and energy efficiency
- "Reasonable degree of thermal comfort" now explicitly tied to effective insulation, efficient heating and energy efficiency.
- Policy links this with MEES EPC C -- making it clear that by 2030-2035, a decent PRS home should be at least C or equivalent.
Cost implications for older stock
Rough ballpark for a tired pre-1980 rental, 2-3 bed house, 2025-26 prices:
| Work | Typical cost |
|---|---|
| Damp remediation and insulation fixes | GBP 2,000-5,000 |
| New consumer unit and electrical remedials | GBP 800-2,000 |
| Smoke/heat detection, fire doors (HMOs) | GBP 1,500-5,000 |
| New efficient boiler (net after BUS grant) | GBP 2,500-6,000 |
| Kitchen and bathroom modernisation (budget) | GBP 5,000-10,000 |
| Fabric upgrades for EPC C (loft, cavity, glazing) | GBP 3,000-7,000 |
Not every property will need all of this. But if you sit on 1960s/1970s stock with original services and a history of patch repairs, you are realistically looking at a five-figure spend over 10 years to stay compliant.
Overlap with EPC C
Government explicitly references MEES EPC C as part of the road to DHS for PRS. A property that is EPC E/F, has single glazing, minimal insulation, and old electric heating will struggle to satisfy the thermal comfort pillar of DHS once it is live.
The smart play is to align EPC upgrades with Decent Homes:
- Fabric first (loft/cavity/insulation).
- Heating upgrade and controls.
- Damp and mould prevention (ventilation and building envelope).
- Do this in planned stages between now and 2030-2035 rather than waiting for a notice.
5. Common failures and what forums get wrong
Most common PRS failures today (which will be squarely under DHS)
- Damp and mould treated as "tenant lifestyle" rather than a structural/ventilation issue.
- Excess cold: inadequate heating, single glazing, uninsulated lofts; tenants cannot afford to heat whole home.
- Unsafe electrics: old fuse boards, no RCDs, broken sockets.
- Fire safety gaps: no interlinked smoke alarms, no fire doors in HMOs, compromised escape routes.
- Trip hazards: loose stairs, uneven flooring, no handrails.
- Poor kitchen/bathroom: very old, badly laid out, lacking proper ventilation and safe surfaces.
Forum myths to ignore
"If I have an EPC and an EICR, I am fine." An EPC and EICR are specific compliance documents. Your property can still have a Category 1 damp hazard, or a "satisfactory" EICR alongside other HHSRS issues. DHS looks at the whole picture.
"Decent Homes only applies to councils and housing associations." Historically yes, but Renters' Rights makes clear that a new Decent Homes Standard will apply to PRS, with councils empowered to enforce it.
"2035 is ages away; I will worry later." The roadmap sets long-term deadlines, but also says the expectation is that landlords should start works earlier, and new investigatory powers and Awaab's Law will drive earlier intervention on obvious hazards.
"Only Category 1 hazards matter." Councils can and do act on Category 2 via improvement or hazard awareness notices, and under DHS they will have a clearer framework to say your property is not acceptable even if it falls just below Category 1 scoring.
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